New study shows autumn-born children are not only stronger than their peers
but fitter

For the hundreds of thousands of parents shouting from the touchline at school sports days across the country in the next few weeks, it would be the holy grail.

But a new scientific study suggests that ambitious fathers and mothers searching for the secret formula to get their child ahead might as well as well give up now.

For all the hours spent playing games in the park or money spent on extra coaching to boost their son or daughter’s chances on the sports field, the real competitive advantage is something beyond their control – their birthday.

Research by one of Britain’s leading experts on child fitness found that those born in October and November can perform up to 15 per cent better in tests of strength, speed or stamina than their classmates born just a few months later.

It is the latest in a series of studies concluding that children who are among the oldest in their academic year group outperform their peers in sporting and academic fields, with potential lifelong implications.

Related Articles

It has been argued that the natural developmental advantage older children have over their peers can set them ahead for life. The oldest children in a year-group are often also the tallest and therefore more likely to make the school team.

But a new study lead by Dr Gavin Sandercock, a clinical physiologist at the Centre for Sports and Exercise Science at Essex University, suggests that autumn-born children are not only stronger than their peers but fitter.

More than 8,500 boys and girls aged between 10 and 16 at state schools in Essex were asked to take part in a series of exercises to test their cardiorespiratory fitness, the strength of their grip strength and their lower-body power.

Those born in November came out top, just ahead of those who celebrate birthdays in October and significantly ahead of the April, May and June-born pupils.

The study, published in the International Journal of Sports Medicine, concludes: “There is a clear physical advantage for those born in the autumn and this may explain some of the bias in sports selection attributed to the relative age effect, particularly when the British school-year September cut-off is used.”

On average boys born in November were able to run 10 per cent faster, jump 12 per cent higher and perform up to 15 per cent better in strength tests than those born in April, it found.